GSA announces three recipients of 2006 Distinguished Service Award

Boulder, CO -- Three geoscientists will receive the Geological Society of America Distinguished Service Award for 2006. They are: Dr. Abhijit Basu, Indiana University; Dr. David E. Fastovsky, University of Rhode Island; and Dr. Roger L. Kaesler, University of Kansas. The awards will be given at the GSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, at the Presidential Address and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 21 October 2006.

The Geological Society of America Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals for exceptional service to the Society. The three 2006 awardees all have made outstanding contributions to GSA's thriving publications program.

Abhijit Basu holds the Herman B. Wells Endowed Professorship at Indiana University. He has served on GSA's Publications Committee and as Books Editor for 10 years, significantly expanding the program. Under Basu's direction, the number of books published annually by GSA has doubled.

David E. Fastovsky, Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Rhode Island, served on GSA's Ad Hoc Committee on Long Range Planning for Publications and recently completed a five-year term as science editor of the journal Geology. Under Fastovsky's direction, the number of submissions to the journal doubled, and its ranking among earth science journals (as measured by the Institute for Scientific Information) and its impact factor (as measured by the Science Citation Index) rose steadily.

Roger Kaesler, Professor, Department of Geology, and Director, Paleontological Institute, University of Kansas, served as editor of GSA's Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology for twenty years. Twelve volumes were published under his leadership, as well as a monumental 6-volume revision of the brachiopod Treatise that will be completed in late 2006.

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The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with 20,000 members representing academia, government, and industry in more than 85 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, GSA also fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues and supports all levels of earth science education.